Kelnor Dosage

By Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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There is only one standard Kelnor dosage -- one tablet once a day, at the same time every day. When you start taking Kelnor for the first time, you can either start it on the first day of your period or on the first Sunday after your period starts. It is important not to miss any of your Kelnor doses, as doing so increases your chance of pregnancy.

Kelnor Dosage: An Introduction

It is important that you take Kelnor™ (ethynodiol diacetate/ethinyl estradiol) exactly as directed. As always, do not adjust your Kelnor dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so. Although birth control pills are effective at preventing pregnancy when taken as directed, their effectiveness decreases significantly if you take them incorrectly.

Basic Kelnor Dosing Instructions

Starting at the beginning of the pack, take one tablet every day, at the same time each day. Each pack will last for four weeks (28 days). After you finish one pack, immediately start a new one the next day. Do not let any days pass between packs, even if you are still having your period. The first 21 tablets contain the active ingredients (the estrogen and progestin hormones). The last seven tablets do not contain any hormones. During this last week, your body gets a short break from the hormones, allowing you to have a period. These last seven tablets do not contain anything that makes you have your period (as some women believe); it is the absence ("withdrawal") of the hormones that causes the bleeding.

Starting Kelnor

When you take Kelnor for the first time, you can start it two different ways:

Day 1 start -- Start Kelnor on the first day of your period (within 24 hours of the start of menstrual bleeding). Because you will be protected from pregnancy from the start of your cycle, no backup method of birth control is needed. If your period happens to start on a Sunday, treat this as a day 1 start, not a Sunday start.

Sunday start -- Start Kelnor on the first Sunday after your period starts, even if you are still having your period. Starting on Sunday may decrease the chance that you will have your periods on the weekends, although not all women find this to be the case. You will need to use a backup method of birth control for the first seven days of the first pack, as you did not start Kelnor at the beginning of your cycle.

If you choose a Sunday start, you will start every pack of Kelnor on Sundays. If you choose a day 1 start, you will start each pack on your initial start day (for instance, if you first started Kelnor on a Friday, you will start every pack on a Friday).

Some healthcare providers may suggest other ways to start Kelnor, such as starting in the middle of the cycle. Make sure to follow your healthcare provider's instructions in such situations.

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